TAKS study guide – grade 04 reading

When?”“Why do you think that happened?” “How do you think this problem will be solved?” “What do you think will happen next?” ● find a good breaking point in the story to ask your child

A Student and Family Guide to Grade 4 ReadingTexas Education Agency

Grade 4 Reading

A S t u d e n t a n d Fa m i l y G u i d e

Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

Dear Student and Parent:

The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) is a comprehensive testingprogram for public school students in grades 3–11 TAKS replaces the Texas Assessment

of Academic Skills (TAAS) and is designed to measure to what extent a student haslearned, understood, and is able to apply the important concepts and skills expected

at each tested grade level In addition, the test can provide valuable feedback to

students, parents, and schools about student progress from grade to grade

Students are tested in mathematics in grades 3–11; reading in grades 3–9; writing ingrades 4 and 7; English language arts in grades 10 and 11; science in grades 5, 8, 10,and 11; and social studies in grades 8, 10, and 11 Every TAKS test is directly linked

to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum The TEKS is thestate-mandated curriculum for Texas public school students Essential knowledge and skills taught at each grade build upon the material learned in previous grades

By developing the academic skills specified in the TEKS, students can build a strongfoundation for future success

The Texas Education Agency has developed this study guide to help students

strengthen the TEKS-based skills that are taught in class and tested on TAKS Theguide is designed for students to use on their own or for students and families to

work through together Concepts are presented in a variety of ways that will helpstudents review the information and skills they need to be successful on the TAKS.Every guide includes explanations, practice questions, detailed answer keys, and

student activities At the end of this study guide is an evaluation form for you to

complete and mail back when you have finished the guide Your comments will help

us improve future versions of this guide

There are a number of resources available for students and families who would likemore information about the TAKS testing program Information booklets are availablefor every TAKS subject and grade Brochures are also available that explain the StudentSuccess Initiative promotion requirements and the new graduation requirements foreleventh-grade students To obtain copies of these resources or to learn more aboutthe testing program, please contact your school or visit the Texas Education Agencywebsite at www.tea.state.tx.us

Texas is proud of the progress our students have made as they strive to reach theiracademic goals We hope the study guides will help foster student learning, growth,and success in all of the TAKS subject areas

Sincerely,

Lisa Chandler

Director of Student Assessment

Texas Education Agency

To the Parent 5

Introduction 7

Helping Your Child 9

Parent and Student—Working Together 13

Your Steps to Success Chart 15

What a Careful Reader Does 16

“Spider Eyes” 17

Help with Skills 20

Objective 1 20

Objective 2 31

Objective 3 35

Objective 4 46

“Spider Eyes” Again 56

Reading Selection 57

Practice with Reading Skills 60

“The Mystery of the Moving Rocks” 67

Reading Selection 69

Practice Questions 71

To the Student—Now It’s Your Turn 75

“The Rocketing Roller-Coaster Ride” and “Meet Jim Seay” 77

Reading Selections 78

Practice Questions 80

Parent and Student—Working Together Again 85

Reading Answer Key 87 Reading

T O T H E

● Introduction

● Helping Your Child

Pages 7–12 are written for you, the parent The purpose of this section is toprovide you with specific information on how to help your child become a

How Is the Reading Study Guide Organized?

The reading study guide is organized in four

parts Each part will provide reading

opportunities for your child This study guide

focuses on applying and understanding reading

skills while your child is engaged in the process

of reading

Part one of the reading study guide is called

“To the Parent.” This part suggests ways to help

your child become a better reader

Part two, “Parent and Student—Working

Together,” provides information and practice for

each of the learning objectives that will be tested

on the TAKS test This part is designed as a guide

for a parent to use when reading with a child

Some of the reading selections in this guide have

questions in the margins Although the selections

on the actual TAKS test do not include questions

in the margins, questions are included in this

guide to help students think about the stories as

they read

Part three, “To the Student—Now It’s Your

Turn,” provides students with an opportunity to

read and answer questions on their own Your

child should work independently and practice

what he or she has learned

Part four, “Parent and Student—Working

Together Again,” includes the answer key for the

practice questions found in this guide The

correct and incorrect answers are explained for

your child Reading these explanations is

important because your child can learn how to

think through each question

What Are Objectives?

TAKS assesses each student’s ability by groupingreading skills under four objectives, or goals forlearning The objectives describe what fourth-grade students should know and be able to do inreading The reading selections in this study guideprovide help and practice with all four learningobjectives

What Kinds of Selections and Questions Will

Be on the Test?

When taking the TAKS test, your child will beasked to answer several multiple-choice questionsabout each selection that he or she reads Varioustypes of selections will be used, including shortstories, newspaper and magazine articles, andtextbook excerpts Together, the questions chosenfor each TAKS reading test will assess

performance on the four reading objectives

© CORBIS

How to Help—Every Day

Make sure your child sees you reading You are your child’s first and

most influential teacher

● Share interesting information, a funny story, or a joke you’ve just

read

● Read books, grocery labels, billboards, signs, recipes, comic

strips, game directions, cereal boxes, newspapers, magazines,

catalogs, mail, and anything else with words printed on it

Choose a special time and place to read aloud to your child

every day

● Try to talk the way the story’s characters would talk Make

sounds and expressions that go along with the story (exciting,

scary, or sad, for example) Help your child “hear” the

excitement in a book

● Ask your child questions when you read aloud Ask questions,

such as “Have you ever felt like that?” “What would you have

done in a situation like that?” and “What do you think will

happen next?”

Listen to your child read for 15–20 minutes every day

● Look for and provide easy-to-read books that will be of

interest to you and your child Your child’s teacher should

be able to help you find books that are not too difficult for

your child to read

● Encourage your child to read a variety of stories and

books, as well as lists, newsletters, signs, and notes

from you

● If your child gets stuck at a difficult part, encourage him

or her by saying:

“What could you try?”

“What do you think it could be?”

“What do you know that might help you?”

“Let’s read this part together.”

● If your child doesn’t stop to correct a mistake, let him or

her finish the sentence or page Then repeat the sentence

and the error, saying:

“Does that sound right to you?”

“Does that make sense to you?”

“Do we say it that way?”

“Try reading that again and think about what

©Laura Dwight/CORBIS

“Have you ever felt like that? When?”

“Why do you think that happened?”

“How do you think this problem will be solved?”

“What do you think will happen next?”

● find a good breaking point in the story to ask your child to retellwhat he or she has read

©Leslie & Mark Degner/CORBIS

After reading,

● have your child retell the story Encourage your child to use his

or her own words and to retell the story using the correct order

of events

● ask questions that help your child relate to the story in a

personal way:

“Who was your favorite character? Why?”

“How is this character like you?”

“How is this character different from you?”

“How is your life the same as or different from the lives of

the characters?”

“What would you have done in that situation?”

● ask questions that help your child relate the story to his or her

own knowledge and learning:

“What did you already know about this subject?”

“What new things did you learn about this subject?”

“How is this subject similar to something else you have

learned?”

“What questions do you still have about this subject?”

● extend the reading experience:

Ask your child to make up a new ending for the story

Have your child continue the story with a sequel

Look for other books about the same subject or a related

subject

Encourage your child to do an activity that may have been

presented in the story

How to Help—Using Television and MoviesMany of the questions used to help children understand what they arereading can also be used to help them understand their favorite

television show or movie After all, television shows and movies arestories that have been created by an author to present a message Maketelevision watching worthwhile by talking with your child about what

he or she is watching The more children practice these thinking skills,the easier it will become for them to apply these skills to reading How to Help—Before the Test

● Focus on what your child is doing right

● Let your child know that you are proud of his or her efforts andhave confidence in what he or she can accomplish

● Explain how important the test is but do not put undue pressure

on your child

● Make sure your child sleeps well for several nights before the test

● Have your child eat a good breakfast

● Make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weatherand classroom climate to avoid discomfort during the test

● Make sure your child arrives on time on the day of the test

to avoid unnecessary stress

P A R E N T A N D

● Your Steps to Success Chart

● What a Careful Reader Does

● “Spider Eyes”

● Help with Skills

● “Spider Eyes” Again

● “The Mystery of the Moving Rocks”

The purpose of pages 15–74 is to provide guided practice with the readingskills and strategies tested on the fourth-grade reading TAKS Read througheach part and practice with the examples

Your Steps to Success Chart on page 15 will show you and your child thesteps to follow in order to gain the most benefit from this study guide

This section is not meant to be done all at once Children most often

● Read “What a Careful Reader Does” on page 16.

● Now read “Spider Eyes” on pages 17–19

Help with Skills

● Read “Help with Skills” on pages 20–55 You should review the skills

and strategies presented here

“Spider Eyes” Again

● Read “Spider Eyes” again on pages 57–59 Answer the questions in the

margins of the story as you read

● Read “Practice with Reading Skills” on pages 60–66

“The Mystery of the Moving Rocks”

● Read “The Mystery of the Moving Rocks” on pages 69–70

Answer the questions in the margins of the story as you read

● Answer the practice questions that follow Check the answers in the

answer key on pages 87–89

“The Rocketing Roller-Coaster Ride” and “Meet Jim Seay”

● Read “The Rocketing Roller-Coaster Ride” and “Meet Jim Seay” on

pages 78–79

● Answer the practice questions that follow Check the answers in the

answer key on pages 89–91

Directions: When you finish working through each of the following steps, put a sticker next to thatsection on the chart You will find the stickers at the back of this guide

BEFOREreading, a careful reader asks

Why am I reading this story or article?

What does this seem to be about?

Is it about something or someone I already know?

Is it about something new I am learning?

Is it about something I want to learn?

What kind of reading will I do?

Will I read about characters in a story?

Will I read about how to do something?

Will I read to learn interesting facts?

DURING reading, a careful reader asks

Do I understand what I’m reading?

Do I need to slow down?

Can I figure out any words I don’t know?

Do I need to look for clues?

Do I need to read some parts again?

How can I connect with what I’m reading?

Is it something I already know?

Is it something new I am learning?

Is it something I want to know more about?

AFTER reading, a careful reader asks

What do I remember about what I read?

Can I use my own words to tell others about it?

Can I name the most important ideas in it?

Can I think of other ways to show that I

understand it?

What do I think about what I read?

Did it add to something I already knew?

Did it tell me something new?

Did it make me want to learn more?

Your child should read the following story aloud If at any time your childbecomes frustrated, join in and read the story together.

As you read, you may notice a number next to each paragraph Theparagraphs are numbered just as they will be on the TAKS test to helpyour child when answering questions

Spider Eyes

1 I did the coolest thing last night I never would have thought

it could work, except that I tried it myself It was great

2 I guess I should introduce myself My name’s Joel, and mymom moved our family out to the country last year Sometimes Iget bored because I don’t have a lot of friends who live nearby toplay with I mean, sure, it’s fun to play with the dog, but I can’t

do that all the time

3 Anyway, I was so bored last night that I started reading I’velearned not to tell my mom when I’m bored She always findssomething for me to do, and it usually involves cleaning the cat’slitter box So I just read instead

4 When we moved out here, Mom ordered a magazine for me

It’s called Science Kids That’s where I found the article about

spider eyes It said that you can find spiders at night by shining

a flashlight into the grass The magazine said the spiders’ eyeswould shine back at you

5 I thought to myself, “No way! Spider eyes don’t glow in thedark I don’t believe it.” But testing the idea seemed better thansitting inside all night, so I went and asked Mom whether I couldborrow a flashlight

6 Well, of course, Mom wanted to know why I wanted aflashlight, but I didn’t want to show her the article “Great,” Ithought “Mom will tell me it’s too dangerous I’ll probably bestuck cleaning the litter box after all.”

7 Mom always wants to know what I’m up to Sometimes Ithink she can’t tell the difference between me and my two-year-old sister Maria

8 “I want to look for something outside,” I answered

9 Mom frowned anyway “Joel, did you leave your baseballglove outside again? You have to take care of your things.”

10 I shook my head “No, Mom, I didn’t forget my glove I want

to look for spiders,” I said, holding up the page I had just read in

Science Kids magazine

11 Mom looked at the magazine “This isn’t something youshould do alone, but it sounds like fun,” she said “Let’s go try ittogether.”

12 Mom turned off the porch light and all the other lights in thehouse When it’s dark like that in the country, it’s really dark.There aren’t any streetlights or other houses, so if the moon andstars aren’t out, you can’t see three inches in front of your nose.Fortunately, there was a glimmer of light from the stars when wewent outside

13 In the country we don’t hear cars whizzing by every minutethe way we did in Dallas, but that doesn’t mean it’s quiet outside.Last night the crickets were louder than the cars on any freeway

14 Mom and I turned on our flashlights Tall bunches of grassleaped up out of the darkness as the flashlights’ beams passedover them

15 “Do you see any spiders?” Mom asked “I’m not spottinganything.”

16 Then I remembered the picture in the magazine It showed agirl holding a flashlight next to her eyes I raised the flashlight to

my eye level and pointed it into the grass Suddenly I saw a littleflicker in the grass as the beam passed by I aimed the flashlight

in that same spot again There it was, shining like a spark from afire I couldn’t believe it Spider eyes!

Continued

17 “Mom! Mom! Look at this!” I called out She pointed her

light where mine was, but she said she didn’t see anything

18 “Put your flashlight next to your head, like this, Mom.” I

showed her how to do it

19 “Oh, wow,” Mom whispered “Is that really a spider? It looks

like a star.”

20 We walked up closer, keeping our lights aimed at the spot

Sure enough, there was a little brown spider right where we had

seen the glow

21 “Hey,” Mom called out, “there’s another one! And look over

there!”

22 As we moved our lights across the tall grass, we found at least

a hundred spiders They glowed like little orange and green stars

I’ve never seen anything like it If you don’t believe me, you

should try it yourself Here are some things to remember:

1 Use a bright flashlight The big flashlight I had worked a lot

better than Mom’s little one

2 Look for spiders at night This won’t work during the

daytime

3 Hold the flashlight next to your eyes and move it so that it

points wherever you’re looking Look at the picture so that

you can see what I mean

4 Aim your light into some tall grass and look for something

that looks like a drop of water shining in the light

Sometimes spider eyes are blue, orange, green, or even

silvery white You’ll be amazed!

You have completed Step 1 Be sure to add a sticker to Your Steps to

Success Chart on page 15

You have just read “Spider Eyes.” This new section, “Help with Skills”

on pages 20–55, presents the learning objectives, or goals, taught tofourth-grade students in Texas classrooms These goals identify theskills fourth-grade students should know and be able to use whenreading

Read through each of the objectives and descriptions of the relatedskills Then practice with the examples provided Some of the exampleswill be linked to “Spider Eyes.”

Remember that this section is not meant to be done all at once Take abreak when you need one

What is “a basic understanding”?

A basic understanding of culturally diverse written texts includes beingable to do the following things:

● Learn new words and their meanings while reading

● Recognize how figurative language is used

● Learn parts of words and how they are used to help with meaning

● Recognize how a word may have a different meaning in differenttexts

● Find the main idea of a paragraph or a story

● Find the important details in a paragraph or a story

● Summarize a paragraph or a story

● Retell the important parts of a story or a book

Objective 1: The student will demonstrate a basic understanding of culturally

diverse written texts.

Context Clues

Sometimes when you read, you will see a word that you do not

know Don’t worry Often you can use the words you do know as

clues to the meaning of a word you don’t know These clues are

called “context clues.”

The clues for a word that is new to you can usually be found

somewhere near that word The clues might not always be in the

same sentence, though Sometimes clues will come before or after

the sentence The clues might even come before or after the paragraph

What are some examples of context clues?

Synonyms—A synonym is a word that means the same thing or almost

the same thing as another word Lovely and beautiful are synonyms, as

are small and little.

E S T N HOW

The word award is a synonym for honor.

An honor such as “Best in Show” doesn’t come easily A dog

must train for years to win this award

Read the sentence below Can you find an antonym for the word

narrow?

The word wide is an antonym for narrow.

The river looks narrow, but if you try swimming across it,

you’ll see just how wide it is!

Antonyms—An antonym is a word that means the opposite of another

word Short and tall are antonyms, as are loud and soft and wet and dry.

Read the sentences below Can you find an example that helps you

know the meaning of gouda?

Gouda is an example of a kind of cheese.

“What kind of cheese do you want on your burger?” Dadasked “Will gouda be okay?”

Read the sentences below Can you find an explanation of the word

Explanations, Definitions, and Descriptions—Sometimes words

explain, define, or describe the meaning of another word

Examples—An example is an item that is the same as other things in

a group Lettuce is an example of a vegetable A tulip is an example of

a flower A table is an example of furniture

✔ Clues in the story can help you understand new words or expressions

Figurative Language

Sometimes a phrase or sentence might not make sense to you even if

you know what all the words mean For example, you might know the

words frog, throat, in, a, my, have But you might be confused if

someone tells you, “I have a frog in my throat.”

A phrase such as “I have a frog in my throat” is an expression It is

an example of figurative language You can often figure out what an

expression means if you read the sentences before and after the

confusing expression to help you understand it

Try It

Go back to paragraph 12 on page 18 in “Spider Eyes.” Look at the

word glimmer Think about the story Which words in the story are

clues that help you understand what glimmer means?

Using these words as clues, I can tell that the word glimmer means

_

Possible clues:

turned off the porch light

it’s really dark

There aren’t any streetlights

Using these words as clues, I can tell that the word glimmer meansa small

amount of light.

TIP:

✔ Context clues may appear in the sentences near the word, or they may

be spread out a paragraph or even be in another paragraph

through-Look at the sentences below

In the sentences above, Naomi does not really have a frog in her

throat Her throat hurts, and she feels like something is in her

throat Sometimes people with sore throats sound like croaking

frogs when they talk

Naomi felt bad She had to whisper when she talked because she

had a frog in her throat She hoped her throat would feel better

soon

Can you figure out the meaning of the underlined word below? Usewhat you know about prefixes

re- (again) + take (get) = to get (a photo) again

Mom had to retake the picture because my little sister had turnedher head

© SuperStock

TIP:

✔ In words with

prefixes and

suffixes, the main

part is called the

root word

Using Prefixes and Suffixes Knowing the meanings of prefixes and suffixes can help you figure outthe meanings of words

A prefix is a letter or a group of letters that is added to the beginning

of a word to make a new word Here are some prefixes and theirmeanings:

dis- means “the opposite of ” re- means “again”

un-, im-, and in- mean “not”

A suffix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the end of a word

to make a new word Here are some suffixes and their meanings:

-able and -ible mean “able to be”

-er means “one who does or is”

-ful means “full of ”

-ance means “an instance of ”

Can you figure out the meaning of the underlined word in the

sentence below? Use what you know about suffixes

help (aid) + -ful (full of) = full of aid

Timothy is helpful and feeds the cat each day

Try It

Can you figure out the meaning of the underlined word in thesentence below? Use what you know about prefixes and suffixes

The prefix ir- means .

The root word resist means “to refuse.”

The suffix -ible means .

So the word irresistible means _ The prefix ir- means “not ”

The root word resist means “to refuse.”

The suffix -ible means “able to be ”

So the word irresistible means “not able to be refused ”

ir- (not) + resist (to refuse) + -ible (able to be) = not able to be refused

That chocolate sundae was irresistible

Multiple-Meaning Words

Some words have more than one meaning How can you tell the

meanings apart? Look at the other words in the sentence or in nearby

sentences for clues to which meaning is being used

TIP:

✔ Clues near a word can help you guess its meaning

What does the word fair mean in the sentence below?

If you look up the word fair in a dictionary, you might see

something like this:

In the sentence above, the word agreed helps you know that fair

means “adequate or enough.”

Now look at this sentence:

In this sentence the word competition helps you know that fair

means “following or observing the rules.”

The boys entered the relay race knowing that the competition

would be fair

fair \ ıfer\ adjective 1 just 2 following or observing the rules

3 pleasing to the eye 4 adequate or enough

The two men agreed that the price paid for the fruit was fair

Main Idea, Important Details, and Summary

The main idea of a story answers the question “What is this story

mostly about?”

Sometimes the main idea is stated clearly in a story That makes themain idea easy to find When the main idea is not stated, use cluesfrom the story to answer the question “What is this mostly about?”

Important details in a story work together with the main idea First

you should think about the main idea of a story you read The mainidea is what the story is mostly about Then you should think aboutthe details The details tell more about the main idea Important details

usually tell who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Another way to think about important details is to imagine ahamburger Think of that ordinary hamburger as the main idea Think

of the main idea as the basic parts of the hamburger—the bun and thepatty Now you have just an ordinary hamburger

You probably like your hamburger with something more on it Do youlike pickles, for instance? Or lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, and ketchup?All these extra things are important details that support the main idea.These extra things can make a hamburger taste better Likewise,authors add supporting details to make their writing more interestingand fun to read

A summary briefly restates the main idea and the most important

details and shows how they are connected A good summary tells whatthe whole story is about

Main Idea: Hamburger

Details

28

TIP:

✔ To figure out the main

idea, imagine saying

to a friend, “Well,

basically, this story is

about ”

Read “Ray and the Campfire.” What is the main idea? What are the

important details? How would you summarize this story?

Main Idea of “Ray and the Campfire”

A boy must start a fire without matches

Important Details of “Ray and the Campfire”

Who is this story about? Ray

What is Ray doing? He is trying to start a campfire

Where is Ray? He is camping out in a canyon

Why is Ray nervous? He does not know whether he

can start the fire

How does Ray start the fire? He uses leaves, twigs, paper,

and flint

Why does Ray’s task matter? He is trying to earn a

Campmaster patch

Summary of “Ray and the Campfire”

Ray must build a campfire to earn his Campmaster patch He is

nervous about failing but follows the steps and starts the fire Then

Ray and the Campfire

“Back off, guys,” Ray pleaded “I need room to build this

campfire.” Ray felt nervous enough without everyone

crowding around him As the sun set behind the canyon

walls, Ray had to start a campfire without matches Only

then could he get the Campmaster patch that he had been

working on He carefully placed dry leaves, twigs, and a few

scraps of paper in a pile Then he used his flint to make

sparks At first nothing happened, but then—the pile began

to smoke! Ray blew gently on the tiny flames until they grew

big enough to need wood He sat back on his heels, relieved

He now knew that he would receive his Campmaster patch

©CORBIS

Now read “Weekend Events in Oakwood.” Think about the main idea and important details Thenread the summary that follows

Main Idea of “Weekend Events in Oakwood”

The Hot-Air Balloon Festival will be exciting and colorful

Important Details of “Weekend Events in Oakwood”

What? The first Hot-Air Balloon Festival

Where? At the city fairgrounds

When? This weekend

Why? To celebrate the beginning of spring

Summary of “Weekend Events in Oakwood”

To celebrate the beginning of spring, Oakwood will hold an

exciting and colorful Hot-Air Balloon Festival The festival will

take place this weekend at the city fairgrounds

Important Note

Readers sometimes get confused about main ideas, important details, and summaries, so here’s a

simple comparison of all three The answers to questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and

how are important details in a story The main idea is the most important idea in the story It can

often be stated in one sentence If you take the main idea and the important details and put themtogether in your own words to tell about the story, you are creating a summary It usually takesseveral sentences to write a good summary

There will be more than just colorful

spring flowers in Oakwood this weekend

This Friday and Saturday our citizens can

celebrate the beginning of spring with

our first Hot-Air Balloon Festival!

Friday evening at the fairgrounds there

will be “roped” balloon rides The rides

will let you experience the feeling of

floating in the air Balloons will go up only

20 feet and will be tied to the ground

After sundown everyone can watch the

“balloon glow.” Burners will be turned

on to make the balloons glow likelanterns Balloons will be launched fromthe fairgrounds on Saturday morning Ifyou don’t make it to the fairgrounds, justlook up in the sky from anywhere in ourcity

Tickets for the festival are going fast

Don’t miss your chance to be part of theexcitement and color of this festival

Weekend Events in Oakwood

©PhotoEdit

What are “literary elements”?

Literary elements are the basic parts that an author uses to create a

story These parts include the characters, the setting (time and place of

the story), the plot (events that happen in a story), and the main

problem of the story

Developing an understanding of literary elements includes being able

to do the following:

● Think about characters, including their personalities, qualities,

and feelings

● Think about characters’ relationships

● Think about why characters do what they do

● Think about the changes characters go through, both personally

and in their relationships with others and the world around

them

● Recognize the story problem(s) or plot

● Recognize how a story’s problem is resolved

● Identify a story’s setting and its effect on the story

Objective 2: The student will apply knowledge of literary elements to understand

culturally diverse written texts.

Analyzing CharactersCharacters are the people or animals in stories You can tell a lot about

a character by asking these questions as you read a story:

How does the character feel?

What does the character do?

Why does the character act a certain way in the story?

What does the character say?

How does the character change in the story?

Read the story below What is Norah like? How does she feel? How can you tell?

What is Norah like? She loves to dance and enjoys performing She is very confident

How does she feel? She is happy because her grandparents are there to see her dance She misses them because they live inanother state

How can you tell? Norah is hardly aware that the other dancers arethere She can’t wait to dance

Waiting to Begin

Norah held her breath as she stood behind the curtain Shehardly noticed the other dancers All she could think aboutwas her grandparents sitting in the audience She had beendancing for three years now, but this was the first recital theyhad been able to come to That they hadn’t come before hadmade Norah sad, but she had understood It cost so muchfor them to fly to the state she lived in Now she was sohappy and excited to have them there She heard theaudience stop talking and knew that the houselights hadgone down Norah stood tall as the curtain rose, and thenshe stepped gracefully onto the stage Somehow she knewthat she would dance better than ever because her

grandparents were watching

TIP:

✔Understanding

characters is like

being a detective

Look for clues in what

characters say, do,

and think Then put

the clues together to

see what the

charac-ters are like

✔ Imagine settings as clearly as you can What does the place look like? How does

it sound and smell?

Recognizing and Analyzing Story Plot and Problem Resolution

The plot is the series of events that happen in a story These events are

usually arranged around a problem, or conflict, that the characters

must try to solve You can often find out the problem in a story by

asking, “What’s going wrong for the main character?”

As one or more characters try to solve the problem, events build to a

climax, or turning point Then comes the resolution, in which the

reader learns how the problem is solved

TIP:

✔Plot = What happens

in a story Resolution = How the problem turns outThink about the story “Spider Eyes.”

What is the main problem Joel faces in this story? Joel is bored

How do you know that this is the main problem? Joel says that he

was bored, so he started reading You can tell that he would rather

be playing with friends, but none of his friends live close enough

When he reads about finding glowing spider eyes, he decides to

give it a try because he has nothing better to do

What is the climax of the story? Joel and his mother see their first

set of spider eyes glowing in the dark

How does the problem turn out? Joel finds something fun and

interesting to do—looking for spider eyes glowing in the dark

Setting and Its Importance

The setting is the time and place a story happens When you read a

story, you can ask these questions to figure out the setting:

When do the events in the story happen?

Where do the events in the story happen?

Sometimes knowing the setting of a story can help you understand

what happens and why characters act as they do When you read, look

for clues that tell you about the setting

Though March had come, the weather was still chilly This sentence tells

when something happened

Birds were building nests in the pine trees This sentence tells where

something happened

Try It

Think about the story “Spider Eyes.”

1 What is the setting? Remember that setting is the time and place

2 How do you know? What clues in the story tell you about thesetting?

3 How is the setting important to the story? Does the setting causeJoel to act or feel a certain way?

1 The events of the story take place at Joel’s new house in the country He tells us that everything happens at night.

2 At the beginning of the story, Joel tells us the time and place In paragraph 2, Joel says that his mother moved them out to the country last year This tells us where the story takes place Then in paragraph 3,

he tells us, Anyway, I was so bored last night that I started reading This tells

us when the story takes place

3 The setting is important to the story because it causes Joel to act and feel a certain way At the beginning of the story, Joel’s problem is that he is bored He is bored because he lives out in the country He can’t play with his friends, because they don’t live very close to him The time the story takes place is important because it has to be dark to see spider eyes glow.

If it weren’t nighttime, Joel wouldn’t have been able to solve his problem by doing something fun and interesting Therefore, the setting is important to the story’s problem and the resolution

Important Note

Objectives 3 and 4 both require students to analyze culturally

diverse written texts

What does analyzing a text mean?

Analyzing a text means thinking about how an author organizes

information so that you can understand the author’s purpose By

analyzing a text, good readers move beyond reading the words on a

page and begin to think critically about the information presented

Careful readers analyze the text as they read in order to learn more

about the world around them

What are reading strategies, and how do they help students

analyze a text?

Reading strategies are plans for how to think about stories, articles, or

books Careful readers use strategies to help gain a deeper

understanding of the information they are reading Strategies help

students analyze a text by providing a structure, or framework, for

looking at the text in different ways: sometimes as a whole piece,

sometimes in its smaller parts, and sometimes in relation to the type of

text and its purpose or its relationship with other texts This process

allows readers to understand how ideas are connected and why the

author might have presented those ideas in a particular way

Reading strategies help students:

● Use the text’s structure, such as cause and effect or chronology,

to locate and recall information

● Use outlines, diagrams, and charts to represent information from

a story or a book

● Make judgments about the logic and consistency of a selection,

including the motivations of characters and how characters

might typically act in a variety of situations

● Identify the purpose of different types of writing

● Compare how two different selections are alike and how they are

different

● Recognize how an author’s perspective or point of view on a

subject affects what is written

Objective 3: The student will use a variety of strategies to analyze culturally

diverse written texts.

Using the Text’s Structure to Locate and Recall InformationAuthors put the events of a story in a certain order so that the eventswill make sense When you read, look for patterns in the way eventshave been organized and how these events relate to one another Youcan use patterns of organization to help you locate information in aselection.

Cause and Effect—One way to understand a story is to look for

causes and effects A cause is why something happens An effect

is what happens—the result When you read, you should look forcauses and effects

Think about the story “Spider Eyes.” The author uses cause and effect

to organize some of the events Why doesn’t Joel tell his mother that heneeds a flashlight to look for spider eyes? He thinks that she won’t lethim because it’s too dangerous

Cause ⫽ Joel thinks his mother won’t let him look for spider eyes.Effect ⫽ Joel doesn’t tell his mother exactly why he needs the

flashlight when he asks for one

This is just one example of a cause-and-effect relationship in the story

“Spider Eyes.”

Read the paragraph below Can you find the cause and effect?

Jonathan is sad because he thinks his friend’s birthday party isgoing to be canceled He thinks the party will be canceled because

it has started to rain

Cause ⫽ The rain Effect ⫽ Jonathan is sad because he thinks the party is going to

be canceled

A Little Rain

Jonathan looked nervously at the sky as he walked down thesidewalk toward his neighborhood park When he woke upthat morning, the day had been sunny, and he had beenexcited Today was his best friend Javier’s birthday They weregoing to celebrate in the neighborhood park with all theirfriends from school Jonathan was almost at the park when henoticed black clouds beginning to fill the sky Then he felt thefirst cold drops of rain “I guess we’ll have to cancel the party,”Jonathan thought sadly as he hurriedly turned around andheaded back to his house

Chronology—Authors also present events or ideas in a time-sequence

order Chronology is the order or sequence in which events occur in

time Many authors choose to write stories beginning with the first

event that occurs and ending with the last event Other authors like to

start with the most exciting event, or climax, and then tell about the

events that lead up to the climax Either way, authors will often use

clue words to help you see the order clearly

A story may contain time-order clue words (first, next, then, after) that

explain the order of events

Read the story below What clues help you understand the order in

which things happen in the story?

In this story, what happens first? Zach reads the recipe and gets

out what he needs

What happens after Zach rolls out the dough? He cuts it into

round shapes

What happens last? The biscuits are baked and ready to eat

All the Ingredients

Zach and his father looked at the recipe Zach said, “It looks

hard.”

“Oh, it’s not bad Just follow the steps one at a time,” his

father advised

First Zach got out all the ingredients and cooking utensils

Next he measured and mixed the ingredients: flour, sugar,

salt, milk, shortening, and baking powder Then he rolled

out the dough and cut it into round shapes After 10 minutes

in the hot oven, the fluffy, warm biscuits were ready to eat

Try It

Now think about the important events in the story “Spider Eyes.” Below is one type ofsequence map you can use to keep track of the order of events What important event doyou think belongs in the empty square?

To complete this sequence map, you need to think about what happens before and after the empty

box The sequence map shows that some event happens between the time that Joel tries to get a flashlight from his mother and the time that Joel and his mother can’t see the spider eyes What

event is missing? His mother decides to help Joel, and they both go outside to look for spider eyes

Joel and his mother learn to hold the flashlights correctly, and they see the eyes.

Joel is bored and starts to read.

Joel learns how to see spider eyes and decides

to try it for himself.

Joel tries to get a flashlight from his mother and ends

up showing her the article.

Joel and his mother can’t

see the spider eyes.

38

Let’s make an outline to organize information from “Spider Eyes.”

I Joel’s Problem

A He lives in the country

B He has no friends close by

C He is used to living in the city

II Solution to Joel’s Problem

A Joel reads a science magazine

B Joel looks for spider eyes when it is dark outside

C Joel finds spider eyes by following the steps in the article

Look at the Venn diagram below

The space in the middle always shows how the two things you are

comparing are similar, or alike The outside part of each oval always

shows how the things you are comparing are different

TIP:

✔ Graphic organizers can help you keep track of the infor- mation you read.

Representing Information in Different Ways

Have you ever had to stop and ask yourself, “What did I just read?”

What you are trying to do is to keep track of the information you are

reading Graphic organizers can help you do this There are many types

of graphic organizers Here are a couple of examples

An outline can show information from a story

A Venn diagram can show how things are alike and how they differ.

You use a Venn diagram to compare two things